EVIJA UNLEASHED

We hit the road (and the track) in Hethel's 2,011bhp hypercar - and it's sensational...

- Alex Ingram [e-mail]

TWO thousand and eleven brake horsepower. It's not a figure that we get to throw around often in the pages of Auto Express. It's more common on a review of a 100-foot yacht, perhaps, or a test drive of an earth mover.

But flat-out acceleration in a Lotus Evija doesn't just make it feel like the earth is moving. It's more like a jump into hyperspace. This is an all-electric hypercar with straight-line speed well beyond the Aston Martin Valkyrie, and even fully electric alternatives like the Rimac Nevera.

Taking a look at the Evija's immaculate production line gave us a glimpse of some of the incredible engineering that lifts the car to such a high level. A carbon-fibre tub forms the starting point and in true Lotus fashion, it's lightweight: just 120kg. To this, beautifully crafted double-wishbone suspension is attached, above which sit the inboard coilover units.

At the back, these remain on display behind a small window, where other hypercars might show a glimpse of their engines. Then there are the hydraulic actuators for the retractable rear wing; four of them are fitted, because two wouldn't be enough to cope with the 1,500kg of downforce produced at the car's 217mph limited top speed - a figure that is made possible by the huge underfloor diffuser and dramatic airflow management through the body. All of this is due to the packaging of the electric powertrain; it wouldn't be achievable with a petrol engine.